A Look Ahead at Global Supply Chains in 2013

It was February and the predictions for 2013 were still
rolling in. The latest is from Bob Ferrari, managing director of The Ferrari
Consulting and Research Group and executive editor of the Supply Chain Matters
Blog.

Every year Bob compiles predictions for the global supply
chain for the coming year and we are always eager to hear what makes the cut. The
10 predictions for this year cover everything from cloud computing to the
renaissance of U.S. based manufacturing.

Here are a few
that caught our eye:

Prediction – Supply
chain organizations must either embrace and augment resiliency and
responsiveness capabilities in 2013 or deal with the consequences of poor
business outcomes: Volatile and rapid business changes are the
new normal which means it’s even more important for forecasting models. Responsiveness
requires decision-making capabilities that are anchored in predictive
analytics, the ability to assess and respond to various likely business
scenarios. “Supply chain control tower” (SCCT) which addresses the need for
quicker, more timely and informed supply-chain wide decision-making, will come
to the forefront in 2013.

Prediction – The executive level voice and shared
accountability of the supply chain organization will invariably extend itself
into three broader areas: Product design, customer fulfillment,
satisfaction and service now cover many more functionally-driven activities and
the supply chain now finds itself involved, voluntarily or involuntarily, in each
of these areas. One element to this is sustainability – design for
sustainability and design for supply chain must come together under a singular
initiative.

Prediction – Cloud computing and managed services
options, enabling supply chain business processes, will continue to gain more
traction, provided that vendors resolve current lingering customer concerns: Cloud
computing will continue to be an attractive option for small and medium-sized
businesses, and the popularity of Platform as a Service (PaaS) will continue to
climb.

We agreed with many of the predictions, but would be
interested to know what you think. To download the full list of 2013
predictions for global supply chains and see how they align with your views for
the coming year, visit Supply
Chain Matters.